


Care

by AgentStannerShipper



Series: tumblr ficlets [118]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Break Up, F/M, Getting Back Together, datas still working on this relationship thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-25 23:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21364267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentStannerShipper/pseuds/AgentStannerShipper
Summary: The obligatory "Data breaks up with Tasha because he's a moron who likes her too much" fic.
Relationships: Data/Tasha Yar
Series: tumblr ficlets [118]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1250822
Kudos: 17





	Care

**Author's Note:**

> For fictober day twenty-nine: “I’m doing this for you.”

Deanna blinked. Under the weight of her stare, Tasha curled into a smaller ball on the sofa, pulling her knees in even tighter to her chest and resting her chin on them. “What do you mean, you’ve broken up?” Deanna asked.

“He ended it.” There was a rough quality to her voice. It came from crying. “He said he didn’t want to be with me anymore.”

Deanna hesitated. She leaned forward in her seat. “What exactly did Data say?”

“He said there wasn’t any need to continue our relationship, that it would be better if we returned to a ‘strictly professional working relationship.’” Tasha shook her head, swallowing fiercely against the lump lodging itself in her throat again. “’I’m doing this for you,’ that’s what he told me. What kind of bullshit romance novel did he even get that from?”

“But he didn’t give you a reason?”

Tasha shrugged. She stared at the floor. “You warned me. Everyone told me this wouldn’t work out.”

“Tasha…” Deanna pursed her lips, her brow furrowing. “I’m sorry. I know what I said, but I was really hoping you could make it work.”

Tasha opened her mouth to response but was cut off by the door chime. She looked at it, then back at the counselor. “I should go.”

“You don’t have to-“ Deanna began, but the chime rang again. Tasha stood up, and she did too, calling out with a sigh, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Tasha froze. Data did the same, although the expression disappeared faster. He took a step back. “I apologize. I did not realize you were in a session.”

“I was just leaving.” Tasha pushed past him out of the room, and Data turned to watch her go. Deanna studied him, and when he looked back to her, she gestured for him to have a seat.

“I hear you two broke up,” she began as the door closed and Data took the seat Tasha had vacated.

Something akin to a hunted expression crossed the android’s face, and he gave a stiff nod. “For Tasha’s benefit, I believed it was time to end the relationship.”

“Did you ask her if that’s what she wanted?”

Data hesitated. He did not meet her eyes when he responded, “I have found that what people want is not always what is best for them.”

“But don’t you think Tasha has a right to make that decision?”

Data lifted his head to meet her gaze. “It was my understanding that you did not approve of our relationship. Yet you seem to be trying to convince me that it should have continued.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Deanna leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Why did you really break up with her?”

“I said. For Tasha’s benefit-“

“Yes,” she interrupted, “but what benefit? What could she possibly get out of you breaking her heart?”

“Time.”

That drew Deanna up short. She frowned, but Data did not elaborate, just stared back at her, head cocked. “Time?” she prompted.

He nodded. “As many people pointed out, yourself included, the likelihood of my ‘breaking Tasha’s heart’ was extremely high. Eventually, she would have been dissatisfied with out relationship. She would no longer be able to accept a partner who was not in love with her. I am simply preempting that realization. This way, Tasha will heal more quickly, and be able to move on without wasting further time on me.”

Deanna smiled, shaking her head. She’d got ahold of it at last. “So, because you care about Tasha, you wanted to leave her before she got hurt.”

“Precisely.”

“You realize the flaw in your logic, of course.”

Data blinked. His brow furrowed. “I do not believe I do.”

“You still hurt her, Data, and pretty badly. Why didn’t you talk to her about this? Ask her if she thought it was worth the risk.” Deanna put a hand on his knee, and Data looked at it, as if unsure why it was there. “Tasha was happy with you, Data. You don’t need to be an empath to see that.” She squeezed and released, sitting back. “Did you enjoy your relationship with her?”

“I did.”

“So you wanted to be with her, and she wants to be with you.”

“I still want to be with her.”

“Then why aren’t you?”

Deanna waited as Data opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Thank you, counselor,” he said after a minute. “I believe this has been enlightening.” He stood, and then hesitated again. “Do you think, if I apologize and explain, that Tasha will understand my behavior?”

“Yes, Data, I do.” She stood too, walking him to the door. “Everyone who’s ever been in a relationship has been afraid of how it will turn out. It’s part of being human. But that’s something you and Tasha need to decide together, not something you should do because you think it’d be better for her.” She ushered him out of the room, and then called out to him as he started down the hall, “Oh, and Data?”

He paused, turning back to look at her. “Yes, counselor?”

Deanna grinned. “This time, I’m rooting for you.”


End file.
